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Quark Expeditions
I enjoyed Quark Expeditions’ Classic Antarctica Adventure, which includes camping, kayaking, and diving on selected voyages. Quark leases small, Russian-crewed vessels; Russians are the world experts in polar navigation. Boats are designed to navigate the remote corners of the Antarctic Peninsula and take adventurous travelers to extraordinary places inaccessible to other ships. Quark’s expedition professionals, including a medical doctor, geologist, naturalist and maritime historian, are an eclectic group of PhD-caliber experts reigning from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Sweden and the U.S. Their in-transit lectures are outstanding. The expedition leader had worked on an Antarctic research base for several years … The Professor Multanovskiy is a 71.8m x 12.8m Russian icebreaker-strengthened class research vessel that’s been modified into a passenger boat. An open bridge policy means guests are welcome in the ship's bridge, day and night. And you won’t go hungry, with daily entrée options of fish, meat, and vegetarian, plus salads, soups and tea time. If you’re prone to sea sickness, get an inexpensive prescription for the Scopolamine patch, a penny-sized band-aid that sticks behind your ear and delivers three days worth of anti-seasick meds. Mother Nature requires that itineraries remain flexible; a sunny day can turn into a killer blizzard at the drop of a hat.
For details, call (800) 356-5699 or visit quarkexpeditions.com
Antarctica Via Chile
Fly LAN AIRLINES to Ushuaia, Argentina—the gateway to Antarctica—and take advantage of your stopover in Santiago, Chile. LAN flies daily from JFK to Santiago, and from Santiago to Ushuaia four times a week, the last stop before sailing to Antarctica.
For details, call (866) 435-9526 or visit lan.com
Santiago’s “Pio Nono” is a street lined with sidewalk-seating restaurants, bars, and the city’s progressive edge. This strip delivers optimum views of the Chilean Chillout, which usually includes warm greetings and cigarettes. The Jazz club strip is two blocks away; a favorable exchange rate makes stepping out here very affordable. Stay at the Hotel Orly, a quaint, compact, Euro-style building in an upscale neighborhood hugging Avenue Providencia, a Broadway-style shopping thoroughfare with alleyways leading to authentic pubs. This experienced, trustworthy “Bellavista Zone” hotel is ideal for both first-timers and Santiago vets.
For details, visit orlyhotel.com
The Ritz Carlton Santiago is a 205-room champion of luxury and convenience in Chile’s most impressive neighborhood, El Golf. Surrounded by the pulse of a modern and friendly capital city and within walking distance of boutiques, restaurants and entertainment. It’s also a short drive from funky student areas, epic Pacific surf, or recreating in the looming Andes Mountains. Their huge, divinely appointed rooms have grand views of this sprawling urban landscape. The lobby recalls a bygone era of royalty, or the nicest living room you’ve ever visited, and the in-house restaurant and bar redefine refinement.
For details, call (800) 241-3333 or visit ritzcarlton.com/hotels/Santiago; also check out visit-chile.org
Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, is one of those earthy, likable, expedition-primer towns on the edge of natural wonders. This busy, always windy port on Tierra del Fuego’s Beagle Channel—where the Atlantic meets the Pacific—hosts a medley of outfitting shops, restaurants and bars for travelers prepping for, or rejoicing an adventure in the mountains or a sail to Antarctica. The main drag (St. Martin) has something for everyone: expensive jewelry shops at one end and the naval base-inspired red zone at the other end. Refreshingly, Ushuaia still clings to its frontier town roots. Stay at Las Hayas Hotel, a mountainside hugging gem overlooking harbor-hugging Ushuaia and grand views of dueling mountainscape panoramas. This top-notch getaway features a gourmet restaurant (serving locally fished hake), huge rooms, and a health center. The cozy bar area has couches near a fireplace.
For details, visit lashayashotel.com
Pretty much as far off-Broadway a theatre can be, La Aventruadel Del Beagle is a play in a theatre within a ship’s interior that’s attached to an amusing theme bar/restaurant. A tad hokey, this unashamed performance is a worthy, end-of-the-road outtake tracking Darwin’s first geographic reconnaissance under the command of Captain Fitzroy. Fitzroy commissioned Darwin to join the expedition to prove the validity of the Scriptures, which backfired when the expedition fueled Darwin’s theory of evolution. Ladatco Tours provides experienced guides for tours of the town and Tierra del Fuego National Park.
For details, call (800) 327-6162
